8.5 juta in Sulawesi is great. That's a typical starting salary for a teacher in Jakarta, and the cost of living on Sulawesi is maybe half that of Jakarta. You should be able to live quite comfortably on that salary, and if you aren't blowing a lot of money, save as well.

Yes I agree, 8.5 mill is a very good wage for Makassar. I worked there in the late nineties befor the monatary crises and still never took home so much. Go for it............which college are you interested in teaching at